IQ

The best of times ...

Tools

With Thanksgiving only two weeks away, the holiday madness is fast approaching and with it friends, tons of food and drink, days off from work, stress, insane materialism.

click to enlarge

Clyde McCracken Old North End Retired carpenter

Are you giving thought to Thanksgiving or Christmas yet? Only that I won't be with any of my family. My son is in the 1st Cavalry and won't be home, and my daughter is out of town.

Describe your most unusual Thanksgiving. Probably 30 years ago, my ex-brother-in-law and I started flying kites every Thanksgiving after dinner. For 10 years or so, we built bigger and better kites, seeing how high we could get them.

Which holiday is best? Fourth of July. I served in the armed forces; I love this country and think we should celebrate it.

Which holiday could you do without? Columbus Day. That poor man was lost.

If you could have any guest come for Thanksgiving dinner, who would it be? An old friend that I haven't seen for years.

click to enlarge

Simon Andrews Old Colorado City Programmer

Any holiday plans? We just moved into a new house, so we're preoccupied with that at the moment, but my parents are visiting from England over Christmas. We'll probably have a mix of traditions.

Describe your most memorable Thanksgiving. I'm from England; last year was my first Thanksgiving. We got together with my wife's university friends from Denver and Fort Collins, ate food, chatted, had a great time.

Which holiday could you do without? They get you days off work. I'd keep them all.

What's the tackiest part of the American holiday tradition? Every one of them is being spoiled by rampant commercialism.

Best holiday drink. Hot cocoa with peppermint schnapps, preferably before a fire.

If you could invite anyone to Thanksgiving dinner, who would it be? My grandparents. They were great people. I miss them terribly.

click to enlarge

Sandra Bell Wasson High area Professional trombonist

Describe your most memorable Thanksgiving. Geez, they've all been the same family and food. None's been different from the other.

Which holiday is best? Thanksgiving or Easter. Thanksgiving because people stop to consider their blessings, and there's not a lot of materialism tied in. Easter because it gives us the promise of everlasting life.

What part of the holiday season could you do without? The materialism all the stuff people think they have to buy and get. It's so shallow.

Whom would you invite for Thanksgiving dinner if you could? I'd invite President Bush to pick his brain about Iraq. Bob Campbell